One solemn Amphitheater face after another emerged from the locker room after Tuesday night's victory.
When everyone considers your team the best in the state, wins just don't cut it.
Amphi took down Canyon del Oro 81-68 in pool play of the Salpointe Tip-Off Classic, but the score wasn't to coach Ben Hurley's satisfaction.
"We could play better," Hurley said. "We're trying to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we're looking to play at our best.
"These preseason tournaments are all about getting better, finding out what you're weaknesses are and working on those."
Hurley said his Panthers, pre-season favorites to win a 4A-II state title after being runners-up last year, played at a high level but for only one quarter: the first.
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Amphi pressed every Dorado possession and had 13 steals in the first quarter. The Panthers closed the period on a 15-0 run to take a 31-13 lead.
That up-tempo pace was absent from much of the second and third quarters. Behind guard Dre Anderson, who scored 22 points, and forward Billy Lason, who added 19, the Dorados trimmed the deficit to 45-31 at halftime and kept the pressure on throughout the second half.
"They were consistent the whole game," Hurley said of CDO. "Every time we got complacent, they made a run."
Senior point guard Lester Medford led Amphi with 14 points; senior Domineik Banks had 12. Standout Amphi guard Tim Derksen sat out the game with a sprained right ankle but hopes to be back for championship bracket play Friday and Saturday.
